Comments

WalterWinchell

"...never been able to make it work." Simply put, that's because most members of LE are atheists or pagans from what they see day in and day out in the course of their job. Dealing with these low-lifes around here just makes one jaded.

phenioxofTHROwarGod

SpuytenDuyvil

The County taxpayers will have to assume liability if one of these holy men are injured or injures a citizen. What civil authority decides who is qualified, and how? Who pays for background checks, ID badges etc., and the extra gas to haul Unger around? I don't want 1 penny of my tax dollar to be used for any sectarian purpose.

Patriot2192

When I was a member of the USAF, I served as a Casualty Officer whereas myself or other appointed officer should serve notices to families within a geographically assigned territory and be accompanied by a chaplain (might be a Protestant chaplain or catholic priest) who provided comfort to the family after the bad news was conveyed. So what is the objective of this program? Stress and post traumatic management for law enforcement officers, chaplains to accompany officers delivering bad news, chaplains at accident scenes or cases involving murdered victims, etc. what is the target of this program? History will show that military members and law enforcement officers are reluctant to discuss their emotional stress, especially men. Men*****it up and press on only to find out later that a healthy post incident discussion would have been beneficial. Again, what is the objective of this program?

WayneinVegas

ending a sentence with "just sayin" is stupid. when did that become fresh? You're just sayin what? What i just read?? Grow up Peter Pan. If you're old enough to use a computer, then act like it. Usually when people end a phrase with "just sayin", they just said something stupid in the first place. So we don't need to be reminded.

LordofTheApes

Don't they have licensed Counselors and Physicists for this? I'm all for having someone for them to talk to but (And really not mocking religion or specifically the Chaplain's ability.) there are professionals out there that are much better qualified for this.

RightThingRightTime

Well Hilltop, it's still not about religion and praying and being subjected to a sermon. It is the same king of help, comfort and acceptance anyone would recieve at a mental health facility. You want to volunteer your time and service to go deliver death messages and witness first hand, grevious situations! You don't have to talk "religion.

HillTopWV

So a chaplaincy program is “not about religion”? Rather hard to explain, then, why clergy is involved and why they call it a “chaplaincy program.” If stress management is needed, there are people qualified to help with that as a mental health issue.

If deputies think they need prayers or other voodoo to help them cope, they probably already have someone they can go to for that. They hardly need the Sheriff's Office to administer communion, or pray the rosary with them.

This is just a naked attempt to push religion into a public office and force it onto current and future public employees at public expense.

I think we'll soon be back to “for one reason or another it has never been able to make it work...”

RightThingRightTime

A good choice in Pastor Scott Sheets. And it's not about religion, it's about providing comfort in times of stress to all persons involved in adverse conditions.

Just start standing up for your Deputy Sheriff's, SHERIFF! Began with affortable insurance for those with dependents. Then salaries! You will have quality people and morale will come. Being a Sheriff and leader is not a game of "look at me", Kenny!

SpuytenDuyvil

The Sheriff and Councilman Copenhaver tried a few years ago to put pastors in the Courthouse. Why do they think their positions as paid public officials allows them to promote their religion to the public? Unger is just plain nuts.

HillTopWV

Including John Unger, a pastor of a progressive Christian denomination and a WV state senator, in this little scheme was pure politics on the part of the Sheriff. It was an attempt (ultimately to fail) to inoculate against criticism his pet program to inject his religion into his public political office.